Hearing to investigate how state regulators handled PolyMet permit

Legal challenges to the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine enter a new phase this week.

A Minnesota judge will open a fact-finding hearing Tuesday into allegations that state regulators improperly tried to suppress serious concerns by federal regulators about the project’s risks.

The judge will then prepare findings that the Minnesota Court of Appeals will consider as it weighs a broader legal challenge to a water quality permit that the state issued for the project in 2018.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency denies any procedural irregularities or anything improper about how it handled the permit. 

You can view the court documents here and here.

PolyMet will appeal permit ruling to Minnesota Supreme Court